The present invention relates to disposable garments. Examples of such disposable garments include disposable underwear, disposable diapers including pull-on diapers and training pants, and disposable panties for menstrual use. More specifically, the present invention relates to disposable garments which have improved fitness to body during use.
Infants and other incontinent individuals wear disposable garments such as diapers to receive and contain urine and other body exudes. One type of the disposable garments, which is often called as xe2x80x9ctape typexe2x80x9d, has a fastener system to hold the disposable garment at the wearer""s waist area. As the fastener system, either an adhesive tape system or a mechanical fastener system is often used. Recently, elastically stretchable side panels are preferably used in this type of the disposable garments, because they can provide a better fit to the wearer""s waist area by jointly working with the fastener system. Another type of absorbent garments, which is often called as xe2x80x9cpant typexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpull-onxe2x80x9d, has fixed sides has become popular for use on children able to walk and often who are toilet training. The pull-on garments have side panels which edges are seamed together to form two leg openings and a waist opening. These pull-on garments need to fit snugly about the waist and legs of the wearer without drooping, sagging or sliding down from its position on the torso to contain body exudes. Examples of these pull-on garments are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat No. 5,171,239 to lgaue et al., U.S. Pat No. 4,610,681 to Strohbeen et al., WO 93/17648 published on Sep. 16, 1993, U.S. Pat No. 4,940,464 to Van Gompel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,433 to Hasse et al., and U.S. Pat No. 5,569,234 to Buell et al.
These disposable garments have stretch laminates in the side panels to provide a better fitness of the garments on the wearer. The stretch laminates usually have an elastic material which has important factors for the fitness of disposable garments. More specifically, the extension properties including the extension forces, recovery forces, retention forces, and available stretch (extension) of the elastic material are important considerations in the performance of the fitness during use. They also effect the ability of the applicator to achieve a suitable degree of application stretch for pull-on garments.
In the meantime, disposable garments typically have a liquid impervious backsheet to prevent absorbed liquid from passing through the garment and soiling adjacent articles such as clothing, bedding and the like. It is generally expected that the liquid impervious backsheet is flexible enough to be compliant and readily conformable to the general shape of the human body. However, depending on the structural relationship between the liquid impervious backsheet and the elastic material used in the side panels, the elastic material can not fully provide expected properties, resulting in loss of the performance of the fitness of disposable garments during use. Thus, none of the existing art provides all of the advantages and benefits of the present invention.
The present invention is directed to a disposable garment, comprising a chassis having a longitudinal centerline, a front region, a back region and a crotch region between the front region and the back region, the chassis comprising a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet associated with the topsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet; and at least one pair of side panels extending laterally outwardly from the chassis in the front or back region. The backsheet comprises a nonwoven outer cover and a liquid impervious film joined to the outer cover. The liquid impervious film longitudinally extends in the front, back and crotch regions, and has a nonuniform lateral width so as to form a first portion in at least a portion of the crotch region, and a second portion in at least a portion of the front or back region. The second portion has a lateral width dimension less than the lateral width dimension of the first portion such that the film does not extend into the at least one pair of side panels. At least one of the side panels comprises an elastomeric material extending laterally outwardly from the chassis, wherein the elastomeric material is joined to the second portion of the liquid impervious film.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become evident to those skilled in the art from a reading of the present disclosure.